The Outsiders
by AllHellEmily
Summary: This is based off the book version, but the characters look like the cast in the movie version. There are two girls, Aiyanna and Emily, who help Johnny and Ponyboy escape the police after the night that started it all...
1. Chapter 1

_WHEN I STEPPED out of into the bright sunlight from the darkness movie house, I had only two things my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home..._

* * *

Two girls; two greasers. They were walking back to their gang, where they planned to meet, but came to a stop to see Ponyboy being mugged. Ponyboy could never deserve such a horrible thing like this, he already been through a lot, but not compared to what Johnny Cade had to be up against. Pony had light-brown, almost-red hair and greenish-grey eyes. His hair is longer than a lot of boys wear theirs, squared off in the back and long at the front and sides.

One of the girls, Aiyanna, was gonna get angry. The other greaser next to her, Emily, saw how upset Aiyanna was, so she threw her cigarette on the ground, and stepped on it. Emily went towards a Soc, pulled his ear to her mouth so he could hear her loud and clear. " **What the fuck are you doin'**." Emily letted go of his ear once it was colored red. Aiyanna gritted her teeth, fixing her shirt.

"HEY! YOU DAMN LITTLE SHIT, THAT'S MY BOYFRIEND!" Aiyanna slapped the Socs in the blue sweater who had just jumped Ponyboy. She stepped hard on his shoe, making him wail. Once the gang came to rescue Ponyboy, all the Socs went back in their Mustang. Steve Randle sticked his arms through the car window, attacking them. They turned on the car, the car slowly drove to the road, almost taking Steve with them. Once the car stopped for a minute, Dallas Winston found a tree branch laying on the floor, and threw it to the bright red Mustang.

"You all right, Pony?" Aiyanna ran to his side.

She couldn't help but noticed that he looked annoyed. "Yeah, I'm fine," he responded. "Thank goodness you're okay," she embraced him.

Ponyboy rubbed his cheek where hes been slugged the most.

Darry jammed his fists in his pockets,"They didn't hurt you too bad, did they?"

Darry was six-two-feet tall, broad-shouldered and muscular. He has dark-brown hair that kicks out in the front. He's got a slight cowlick in the back-like his dad-but Darry's eyes were his own. He's got eyes that looked like two pieces of pale blue-green ice. They've got a determined set to them, like the rest of him. He looks older then twenty-tough, cool, and smart. He'd be real handsome if his eyes weren't so cold. He doesn't understand anything that is not plain hard fact. He does use his head though- unlike others.

Ponydoy shook his head. "If I say I'm okay, then I'm Okay; I'm fine." Sodapop Curtis came loping dropped down, examining Pony's head.

"You got a little cut up, huh, Ponyboy?"

Pony looked at him blankly, "I did?"

Soda pulled out an handkerchief, wet the end of it with his tongue, and pressed it gently against the side of Pony's head. "You're bleedin' like a stuck pig."

"I am?"

"Look!" He showed him Pony the handkerchief, reddened as if magic. Aiyanna took a glimpse at the handkercheif, gasped of how red it was. "Did they pull the blade on you?"

Pony looked away, a tear rolling down his cheek. "Y-yeah."

Soda is handsomer than anyone else they knew. Not like Darry- Soda's movie-star kind of handsome, the kind that people stop on the street to watch go by. He's not as tall as Darry, he's a little slimmer, but he has a finely drawn, sensitive face that somehow manages to be reckless and thoughtful at the same time. He's got dark-gold hair that he combs back-silky and long and straight-and in the summer the sun bleaches it to a shining wheat gold. His eye are dark brown-lively, dancing, recklessly laughing eyes that can gentle.

Pony was white and shaking as a left, they knew how much it is to handle in of what just happened.

"How did you guys find me?" Pony asked. "I was just drawn by your high pitched screams," Emily responded.

Soda putted his hand on Pony's shoulder. "Easy, Ponyboy. They ain't gonna hurt you no more." He smiled. "I know," For Pony, the ground was beginning to blur. He brused his tears impatiently. "I'm just a little spooked, that's all." Pony's injury, compared to Johnny's when they found him in the vacant lot, he wasn't hurt at all.

Soda ruffled Pony's hair. "You're an all right kid." Pony couldn't but grin at him. Aiyanna felt teary of what happened, so she hugged him one more time. "Pony."

"Hmm?"

"You're crazy, Pony, out of you're mind." Pony snickered. "You're both crazy," Darry added.

Sodapop cocked an eyebrow, "it seems to run in the family, probably growin' on Aiyanna." Aiyanna grinned. She moved her head towards Pony until their lips met.

Aiyanna had her pretty, wavy light brown hair down, with a braid on the side. She wore a pearl white shirt with jet black Ripped jeans with black tennis shoes; a red bandanna around her head. She had beautiful light brown eyes to match her hair. Her earrings were arrows going through hearts, looking her more hard looking. If you told her your secret: she would keep it with all her life. She likes reading, mostly if it's ready with her boyfriend, Ponyboy Curtis. She wore makeup, applied with long black eyeslashes with smokey eyes and a light salmon gloss on her lips. Pony was one lucky guy to have her in his life.

The rest of their gang had chased the Socs to their car and heaved them with rocks, but Dallas and Emily went extreme and threw bricks at the Mustang. They laughed when Emily threw the brick to the window. "You're gonna pay for that, greaser!" A Soc called as soon they drove off. They came running towards Pony and Sodapop- four lean, hard guys with a cute rough looking girl.

Emily and Aiyanna were best friends all the way; if they were in a fight, they would sort them until they went back being best friends. (which only takes a day) Emily had long dark brown hair, her hair down: she had her hair swinged, curled, to the side with tight braids on the side of her head; with light highlights on her tips. She didn't like greasing her hair- she thought of it just a bad way to make your hair shine. She had dark brown eyes to compliment her dark brown hair. She wore a black tain top tucked in her dark blue ripped jeans- rolled up, wearing a dark jean jacket, with black sunglasses covering her, wearing black high heels. When she stands under a bright light in the night, her eyes seemed to glow to a hazel because the light reflecing them. She had a long wing with long eyelashes and smokey eyes with red lipstick. She loved bubble gum, if she saw a packet of them: she would devour them all. She wasn't just only rough girl in the gang, she was the little sister of Two-Bit, and everyone knew, maybe because their sense of humor? She was surley almost the definition of reckless looking, that's why Emily and Dally seem like a good couple; they are both rough all around, getting drunk, hitting rodeos, they did everything bad you could name.

Ponyboys eyes wiped his eyes hurriedly. "Didya catch 'em?"

"Nup, they got away this time, that dirty son of bitch," Two-Bit Mathews went on cheerfully.

"The kid's okay?" Emily asked

"I'm okay." Ponyboy tried to change the subject, "I didn't know you were out of the cooler yet, Dally"

"Good behavior. Got off early." Emily rolled her eyes. "Like you ever do anything good."

Dally lit a cigarette and gave it to Johnny. Everyone sat down to have a smoke and relax. This was Aiyanna's first time to ever smoke, and she breathed it in. She started to cough. "Girls can't handle the smoke," Pony said making Aiyanna laugh. Emily sat next to Dallas, his arm around her. Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow, "Nice-lookin' bruise you got there, kid."

Ponyboy touched his cheek gingerly, "really?"

Two-bit nooded sagely, "Nice cut too. Makes you look tough."

Steve flicked his ashes at Pony, "What were doin' walkin' by your lonesome?"

"I was comin' home from the movies, I didn't think..."

"You don't ever think," Darry broke in, "not at home or anywhere when it counts. You must think at school, with all those good grades you bring home, and you've always got your nose in a book, but do you ever use your head for comman sense? No sirree, bud. And if you did have to go by yourself, you should have carried a blade."

Pony just started at the hold in his shoe, Aiyanna comforting Ponyboy by rubbed his arm.

Soda was glaring at him. "Leave my kid brother alone, you hear? It ain't his fault the Soca like to jump us, and if he had been carrying a blade it would have been an good excuse to cut him to ribbons."

Darry said impatiently, "When I want my kid brother to tell me what to do to my other kid brother, I'll ask you- kid brother." He laid Pony off. "Look, don't listen to 'em, I would've done the same thing, don't blame yourself, kiddo," Aiyanna whispered to Pony. He couldn't help but smile.

"Next time get one of us to go with you, Ponyboy," Two-Bit said. "Any of us will."

"Yeah, we could've gone on a date or something..." Aiyanna holded Pony's hand. "Maybe next time."

"Speakin' of movies"- Dally yawned, flipping away his cigarette butt, Emily taking it for her own. "What was that for?"

"Mine wasn't good." Emily lied. "But that was mine." Dally told her. "Too late"- Emily inserted the cigarette in her mouth, blowing the smoke in his face. He smirked, bitting his lip. "Like what I sayin', I'm walkin' over to Nightly Double tomorrow night. Anybody want to come and hunt some action?"

Emily shook her head, lying, "I can't, I gotta go to-"

"Nope, you're going. After, I'm going to Buck's party." When he said that, he knew she would go. "Are you now?" She grinned. "You bet, baby!"

Steve shook his head. "Me and Soda are pickin' up Evie and Sandy for the game." Darry sighed. "I'm working tomorrow night." Dally looked at the rest if us. "How about y'all? Two-Bit, Johnnycake, you and pony, Aiyanna, wanta come?" Dallas invited them. "Me, Aiyanna and Johnny'll come," Pony said. Pony knew Johnny wouldn't open his mouth unless he was forced to, and Aiyanna didn't need to answer, he aleady knew what she wanted. "Okay, Darry?"

"Yeah, since it ain't a school night." Darry was real good about letting pony go places on weekends. On school nights, Pony could hardly leave the house. "I was plannin' to get boozed up tomorrow night," Two-Bit said. "If I don't, I'll walk over and find y'all."

Steve was looking at Dally's hand. His ring, which he had rolled a drunk senior to get, was back on his finger. "You break up with Sylvia again?"

"Yeah, but this time it's for good. That little broad was two-timin' me again while I was in jail." Emily smiled. "Great timing, you know what happens in Buck's parties..." She rubbed his leg. Dallas grinned.

"Plus, it's about time you stop dating lunatics." Emily looked at her nails. "So you're saying is that I should stop dating you?" Dallas said loudly in her ear. Aiyanna tried to be mature, but couldn't keep her lips closed and laughed. Ponyboy did the same.

Emily rolled her eyes. "If I don't tag along tomorrow night, it's your fault." She whispeared in his ear, and walked away. "She's one gal, huh, Two-Shit?" Dallas laughed.

"No, Dally, it's Two-Bitch." Steve corrected.

"Nah, Steve, it's two-butt" Sodapop chuckled. Pony said, "guys stop it."

"Thanks, Ponyboy." Two-Bit looked down. "No problem, Two-Dick." Pony added. They all laughed. Two-Bit stared at them maddly, and chased them around, all of them laughing till their lungs hurt.

Two-Bit stopped, then they all stopped. "You should really go get Emily, Dally. Who knows whats she's doin'. She could be at Pony's house getting all of their candy, jumping people on the streets, _meeting up with a boy_ -"

Dallas looked serious. "Yeah, you're totally right." Aiyanna held Pony's hand. She took sveral breaths. Her throat was on fire. "We'll come with." The couple smiled at each other.

* * *

It wasn't hard to find her, she was just near a gas station store buying more gum, and a beer. Dallas sneaked up behind, scaring her. She slapped him by accident. Aiyanna laughed in Pony's shoulders, laying her head. Dallas rubbed his cheek and eye, mostly his eye. "There you are, I think, you're blurry." He said. She took out a wipe and wiped his eye . She always brought wipes around to take off her makeup or if Aiyanna needed to. "Sorry about that."

"You're never sorry for anything." Dallas stated. "Shut up, elf." She said smoothly. She walked away, leaving them behind. "Aw, C'mon, baby, you know I didn't mean it, doll face," He grinned slyly. "Oh, now you're being nice." Emily said rudley, chewing her gum. Dallas grinned. He knew how to turn her on. He went behind her and putted his hand on her waist. His nose in her neck, kissing her cheek. "I'm never nice." Shivers went down her back. She cleared her throat. "Not now." She faced him, smiling, and kissed him. Pony looked at the sky. Sunset.

Pony stretched his arms. "Well, I gotta head back. Who knows, Darry's probably lookin' for me." Aiyanna nooded. "Same for me. I gotta do my homework, or read a book." Dallas putted his arm around Emily. "All right, we'll catch you both for the movie."

"Meet us early in the mornin'." Dallas added as Emily and him walked away. "I'll stop to you're house at the seven," Aiyanna and Ponboy kissed. "Okay, then it's settled."

Pony, being the gentleman he is, walked Aiyanna to her house first. She gazed up in the sky. There were multiple colors: pink, orange, red, blue, all blended in the sky. "It's pretty, huh." Pony said to destroy the silence. "Hmmm..." She nooded, sighing happily. "We're here."

Aiyanna did her best to clean her house. It was at least nicer than Ponyboy's house. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." She kissed him one more time, and went inside.

Pony was walking alone, wishing to have some company, then saw Dallas nad Emily in the distace.

A red Mustang drove along.

"Hey, guys, wait up!" Pony ran.


	2. Chapter 2

DALLY AND EMILY WERE WAITING for Johnny, Aiyanna, and Ponyboy under the street light at the corner of Pickett and Sutton, and since they got there early, we had time go go over to the drugstore in the shopping center and goof around. They bought Cokes and blew straws at the waitress, and walking around eyeing everything that were lying out in the open until the manager got wise on them, Emily rolled her eyes and giving attitude to the manager, which made the manager get more wise and suggested them to leave. He was too late, though; Dally walked out with two packages of kools in his jacket, and Emily had two packages of gum that she stole in the manager's pocket while Dallas was distracting him.

Then they went across the street and down Sutton a little way to The Dingo. There were a lot of drive-ins in town- the Socs go to The Way Out and to Rusty's and the greasers go to The Dingo and to Jay's. The Dingo is a pretty rough hangout; there's always a fight going on there once a girl got shot. They walked around talking to all the greasers and hoods they knew, leaning in car windows or hopping in the back seats, and getting in on who was running away, and who was in jail, and who was going with who, and who could whip who, and who stole what and when and why. They knew about everyone in there. There was also a pretty good fight while they were between a big twenty-three-year-old greaser and a Mexican hitchhiker. They left when the when the switchblades came out, beacuse the cops would be coming out soon and nobody in his right mind wants to be around when the fuzz show.

They crossed Sutton and cut around behind Spencer's Special, the discount house, and chased two junior-high kids across a field for a few minutes; by then it was dark enough to sneak in over the fence of the Nightly Double drive-in movie. It was the biggest in town, and showed two movies every night, and on weekends four- you could say you were going to the Nightly Double and have time to go all over town.

They had all the money to get in- it only cost a quarter if you're not in a car- but Dallas hated to do things the legal way. He liked to show that he didn't care whether there was a law or not. He went around trying to break laws, and plus: he knew that pleased Emily. She liked bad boys. We went to the rows of seats in front of the concession stand to sit down. Nobody was there expect two girls who were sitting in front. Emily and Dallas were sitting behind them, Emily sitting on his lap. The redhead stared back at them, smiling. "Hi," she said quitely, trying not to get messed in trouble with greasers. Emily glared at her, waving her hand at her. When the redhead looked back at the movie, Emily stopped waving and rolled her eyes. Dallas whispered in Emily's ear. "Can we leave and head to Buck's?" She shook her head. "C'mon, baby, lets go and see what the night leads us," he putted his hand over her leg, and grinned on her cheek. "I actually want to watch his, Dally." Dallas ignored her. He kissed her cheek and putted his arms around her to bring her closer. "Dallas- baby, please," Emily said. She grinned at him, and they started to make out. Aiyanna saw, and trying not to make eye contact with them. Pony wanted them to leave; they could get heated right away. Pony had a feeling that Dally was up for his usual tricks, and he was right. Pony felt his ears getting hot. Aiyanna and Pony sat there struck dumb, and Johnny left to get a coke. The redhead looked at them disgusted. Emily sat up and took the redhead's purse. "Jack-pot," Emily took the gum that was lying in there. "You better give that back." The redhead snarled.

"Who's gonna make me? Your boyfriend? You puny lil' thing." Emily said back. "I don't need my boyfrined to defend myself."

"Cute, red. Then how 'bout we take this somewhere else, asshole."

"I have a name, it's Cherry." Emily groaned. "I didn't ask, hoar."

Johnny came back, with an armful of Cokes and sat down back next to Pony. He handed his friends a Coke. "Leave her alone, Emily."

"Huh?" Emily was caught off gaurd. Johnny couldn't say "boo" to a goose. He turned a little pale. "You heard what I said," Johnny replied. They've never seen Johnny talk back to people- and it had to be the most meanest people that he needed to talk back to.

"Okay."

"Okay?" They all said. "Yeah, Dally, lets go." Emily grinned. Dallas smiled dangerously at her. "But first, hand me a Coke," She said. Johnny handed Emily another Coke. Emily opened it, looked at it twice and gave Cherry an incredulous look; and poured the Coke over Cherry's head. Cherry was yelling of how cold it is, making Emily laugh. "Now, let's go." Emily and Dally grinned at each other. They went away. They never came back.

Cherry sighed of relief, "Thanks, she had me scared to death," her teeth chattered. "You sure didn't look like it. Nobody talks to Emily or Dallas like that. Here," Johnny handed Cherry his leather jacket. She smiled, "from what I saw, you do." Johnny grinned in admiration.

Johnny's ears got red. It had taken him more than a nerve for him to say what he'd said to Emily. He stepped up his game. Marcia, the brown haired girl sitting next to Cherry grinned at them. "Y'all sit up here with us. You can protect us." Aiyanna looked at Johnny and Pony, smiling. Johnny grinned. Would he have something to say to the boys! Pony took Aiyanna's hand, and they sat together next to Cherry, and Johnny was sitting next to Marcia. "I recognize you; aren't you the cheerleader in highschool?" Aiyanna questioned. "Yeah, we go to the same school." Cherry replied.

"You two don't look old enough to be going to highschool," Marcia said, looking at Ponyboy and Aiyanna. "We're not. We got put up a year in grade school." Pony felt Aiyanna's hand in his. "I'm glad they did." Aiyanna kissed his cheek, making him smile. Cherry looked at the three of them. "What you nice, smart kids like you guys running around with trash like that for?"

Pony felt himself stiffen, "We're greasers, same as Dally and Emily. They're my buddies."

"I'm sorry, Ponyboy, right?" Cherry asked. "Y-yeah." Pony felt nervous when she said his name. He hated telling or people knowing his name, even though he thought his name was nice.

"You're brother, Sodapop, does he work at a gasoline station? A DX I think?" Cherry questioned.

"Yeah."

"Man, You're brother is one doll. Aiyanna here must be glad to have a handsome guy like you- you and Sodapop look alike." Aiyanna felt her ears getting hot. Pony looked back at Aiyanna, seeing her smile. He kissed her cheek, making her grin.

"Didn't he used to ride in rodeos? Saddle bronc?"

"Yeah. Dad made him quit after he tore a ligament, though. We still hang around rodeos a lot. I've seen you two barrel race. You're good." Aiyanna nooded her head in agreeement. "Thanks," they both smiled at each other. "How come we don't see your brother at school? He's not any older than sixteen or seventeen, is he?"

Pony winced inside. "He's a dropout."

They nooded. "How old are y'all?" Marcia asked.

"Fourteen." Pony said.

"Thirteen." Aiyanna responed.

"Sixteen." Replied Johnny.

"That's funny," Marcia said, "I thought you were..."

"Sixteen." Cherry finished for her.

Johnny grinned. "How come y'all aren't scared of us like you were of Emily?"

Cherry sighed. "You guys are too sweet to ever scare anyone. They're hearts are rotten as apples, those two deserve each other. Besides that, I've beard of Emily and Dallas Winston, they looked hard as nails and twice as tough. You don't look mean."

"Sure," Pony said tiredly, "we're young and innocent."

"No," Cherry examined the three of them. "Not innocent, you've seen too much to be innocent. Just not...dirty."

"Emily's clean. Plus, Dallas is okay," Aiyanna cutted in. Pony and Johnny nod in agreement. You take up for your buddies, no matter what they do. When you're a gang, you stick up for you're memmbers. If you don't stickup for them, stick together, make like brothers or sisters, it isn't a gang anymore. It's a pack. A snarling, distrustful, bickering pack like the Socs in their social clubs or the street gangs in New York or wolves in the timber. "They're tough, together, but they're cool old guys."

"He'd leave you alone if he knew you," Pony said, and that was true. When Steve's cousin from Kansas came down, Dally was decent with her and watched his swearing. They all did around nice girls that were the cousinly type. They were mostly nice and decent with the cousinly type or girls in class; but they still watch a nice girl go by on a street corner and say lots of lousy stuff about her. Or the time when Two-Bit brought Emily into the gang, since everyone was telling him when he'll introduce Emily. That's how Dally and Emily met. Pony and Aiyanna met in grade school, and now they go to the same school, again.

"Well," Marcia said with finality, "I'm glad he doesn't know us."

"I kind of admire him, but too bad he's taken," Cherry said softly, so only Aiyanna and Ponboy heard, and then they settled down to watch the movie.

They won't be having a ride home. They've come with their boyfriends, but walked out on them when they found out the boys brought some booze along. The boys had gotten angry and left.

"I don't care if they did." Cherry sounded annoyed. "It's not my idea of a good time to sit in a drive-in and watch people get drunk."

You could tell by the way she said it that her idea of a good time was probably, high-class, and probably expensive. They've decided to stay and see the movie anyway. It was one of those beach-party movie with no plot or acting but a lot if girls in bikinis and some swinning songs, so it was all right. They were five sitting there in silence when suddenly a strong hand came down Johnny's shoulder and another one on Pony's and deep voice said, "Okay greasers, you've had it."

Aiyanna was so close to slapping the dude in the deep voice of fright. Pony almost jumped out if his skin. It was like having someone leap out behind a door and yell "Boo!" at you.

Pony looked fearfully over his shoulder, and there was Two-Bit, grinning like a Chessy cat. "Glory, Two-But, scare us to death!" He was good at voice imitations and had sounded for all the world like a snarling Soc. Then Aiyanna looked at Johnny. His eyes were shut and he was white as a ghost. His breath was coming out as smothered gasps. Two-Bit knew better than to scare Johnny like that. I guess he'd forgotten. He's kind of scatterbrained. Johnny opened his eyes and said weakly, "Hey, Two-Bit."

Two-Bit messed up his hair. "Sorry, Kid," He said. "I forgot."

He climbed over and plopped down besides Marcia. "Who's this? Your great-aunts?"

"Great-grandmothers, twice removed." Cherry said smoothly.

They couldn't tell if Two-Bit was drunk or not. It's kinda hard to tell with him- he acts boozed up sometimes even when he's sober. He cocked an eyebrow up and the other down, which he does when something puzzles him, or bothers him, or when he feels like saying something smart. "Shoot, you're ninety-six if you're a day."

"I'm a night." Marcia said brightly.

Two-Bit stared at her admiringly. "Brother, you're a sharp one. Where'd you two ever get picked up by these greasers?" Aiyanna glared at Two-Bit.

"We really picked them up," Marcia said. "We're really Arabian slave traders and we're thinking about shanghaiing them. They're worth ten camels apiece at least."

"Five." Two-Bit disagreed. "They don't talk Arabian, I don't think. Say somethin' in Arabian, Johnnycake.

"Aw, cut it out!" Johnny broke in. "That's not Arabian, I think," Two-Bit whispeared to Aiyanna and Marcia. "Emily was bothering them and when Dally and her left they wanted us to sit with them to protect them. Against wisecracking greasers like you, probably."

Two-Bit grinned because Johnny didn't usually get sassy like that. They thought they were doing good if they could get him to talk at all. Incidentally, they don't mind being called greaser by another greaser. It's kind of playful then.

"Hey, where's my sis and ol' Dally, anyways?"

"They went out hunting some action- booze or dames or a fight." Aiyanna answered. "I hope Dally doesn't go to jail again. He just got out." Pony said. "They better not do anything _alone_ , it's hard to leave a sixteen-year-old and a seventeen-year-old, it's almost her bedtime." Two-Bit spoke, as if he would hurt Dally if he laid his hands on her.

"Anyways- that's why I came over. Mr. Timothy Shepherd and Co. are looking for whoever kindly slashed their car's tires, and since Mr. Curly Shepherd spotted Emily and Dallas doing it... well... Do they have a blade?" Two-Bit stated.

"Not that I know of," Pony said. "I think Dallas got a piece of pipe in order to protect Emily, but he busted his blade this moring."

"Good. Tim'll fight fair if Dally don't pull a blade on him. Dally shouldn't get into any trouble."

Cherry and Marcia stared at them. "You don't believe in playing rough or anything, do you?"

"A fair fight isn't rough;' Two-Bit said. "Blades are rough. So are chains and heaters and pool sticks and rumbles. Skin fighting isn't rough. It blows off steam better than anything. There's nothing wrong with throwing a few punches. Socs are rough. They gang up on one or two, or they rumble each other with their social clubs. Us greasers usaully stick together, but we do fight among ourselves, it's a fair fight between two. Dally and Emily deserves whatever they're getting, 'cause slashed tires ain't no joke when you've got to work to pay for them. They got spotted too, and that was their fault. Our one rule, besides stick together, is Don't get caught. He might get beat up, he might not. Either way there's not going to be any blood feud between our outfits and Shepherd's, if we needed tomorrow they'd show. If Tim beats Dally's head in, and then tomorrow asks us for help in a rumble, we'll show. Dally and Emily was getting kicks. They got caught. They pay up. No sweat."

"Yeah, boy," Cherry said sarcastically, "real simple."

"Sure," Marcia said, unconcerned. "If they get killed, you just bury them. No sweat."

"You dig okay, baby," Two-Bit grinned and lit a cigarette. "Anyone want a weed?"

The greasers looked at Two-Bit admiringly. He sure put things into words good. Maybe he was still a junior at eighteen and a half, and maybe his sideburns were too long, and maybe he did get boozed up too much, but he sure understand things.

The girls shook their head at his offering of cigarettes, but Johnny and pony reached for one. Johnny's color was back and his breath was regular, but his hand was shaking ever so slighly. A cigarette would steady it.

"Pony, wanna come with me and get some popcorn?" Aiyanna said. "Sure, Y'all want popcorn?" Pony agreed. Aiyanna stated, "I'll come with."

"I want some," said Marcia.

"Me too," said Two-Bit. He flipped a fifty cent piece. "Get Johnny some, too. I'm buyin'," he added as Cherry gave Johnny's jacket back, Johnny reaching in his jeans pockets.

They went to the concession stand and, as usual, there was a line mile long, so they had to wait. Quite a few kids turned to them- you didn't a greaser couple with a Socy cheerleader often. Cherry didn't seem to notice. "You're friend, with the sideburns, is he okay?"

"He ain't dangerous like Emily and Dally if that's what you're wondering," Aiyanna replied.

She smiled and her eyes showed that her mind was on something else. "Johnny... he's been hurt bed sometime, hasn't he?" It was more of a statement than a question. "Hurt and scared."

Aiyanna felt goosebumps on her arms. "It was the Socs." Pony said nervously. He didn't like to talk about it- Johnny getting beaten up. He started to walk a little faster since he didn't like to think about it either.

* * *

IT WAS ALMOST four months ago. Pony and Aiyanna walked down to the DX station to get a bottle of pop and to see Steve and Soda, because they'll always buy the couple of bottles and letted them both help out with the cars. They didn't go on weekends because then there is uauslly a bunch of girls there flirting with Soda- Aiyanna's still suprised that Sandy is okay with Soda around girls, mostly if a girl is flirting with him.

It was a warmish spring day with the sun shinning bright, but it was getting chilly and dark by the time they started to go home. They were walking since they had left Steve's car at the station. At the corner that their block there's a wide, open field where they play football and hang out, and it's often a site for rumbles and fist fights. They were passing it, kicking rocks down the street and finishing their last bottles of Pepsi, when Steve noticed something lying on the ground. He picked it up. It was Johnny's blue-jean jacket- it wasn't Emily's since hers was a little lighter.

"Looks like Johnny forgot his jacket," Steve said, slinging it over his shoulder to take it by Johnny's house. Suddenly he stopped and examined it more carefully. There was a stain the color of rust across the collar. He looked at ground. There were some more stains on the grass. He looked up and across the field with a stricken expression on his face. They all heard a low moan and saw a dark motionless hump on the other side of the lot at the same time. Soda reached him first. Johnny was laying face down on the ground. Soda turned him over gently and Pony and Aiyanna nearly got sick. Someone has beaten him badly.

They were used seeing Johnny banged up- his father clobbered him around a lot, and although it made them madder than heck, they couldn't do anything about it. But those beatings had been nothing like this. Johnny's face was cut up and bruised and swollen, and there was a wide gash from his temple to his cheekbone. He would carry that scar all his life. His white T-shirt was splattered with blood. Aiyanna stood there, trembling with sudden cold. Pony thought he was dead; surely nobody could be beaten like that and live. Steve closed his eyes for a second and muffled a groan as he dropped on his knees besides Soda.

The gang had sensed what had happened. Aiyanna could feel her guilt of maybe staying with Johnny so this never happened. Two-Bit was suddenly there besides Aiyanna, and for once his comical grin was gone and his dancing grey eyes were stormy. Darry had seen them from their porch and ran towards them, suddenly skidding to a halt. Emily and Dally were there too, they were both swearing under their breath, a sick expression on Dally's face. Pony thought vaguely. Dally had seen people killed on the streets of New York's West Side. Why did he look sick now?

"Johnny?" Soda lifted him up and held him against his shoulder. He gave the limp body a slight shake. "Hey, Johnnycake."

Johnny didn't open his eyes, but there came a soft question. "Soda?"

"Yeah, it's me," Sodapop said. "Don't talk. You're gonna be okay."

"There was a bunch of them," Johnny went on, swallowing, ignoring Soda's command. "A blue Mustang full... I got so scared..." He tried to swear, but suddenly started crying, fighting to control himself, then sobbing all the more because he couldn't. They seen Johnny take a whipping with a two-by-four from his old man and never let out a whimper. That made it worse to see him break now. Soda held him and pushed Johnny's hair back out if his eyes. "It's okay, Johnnycake, they're gone now. It's okay."

Finally, between sobs, Johnny managed to gasp out his story. He had been hunting their football to practice a few kicks when a blue Mustang had pulled up besides the lot. There were four Socs in it. They had caught him and one of them had a lot of rings on his hand- that's what cut Johnny up so badly. It wasn't just that they had beaten him half to death- he could take that. They had scared him. They had threatened him with everything under the sun. Johnny was high-strung anyway, a nervous wreck from getting belted every time he turned around from hearing his parents fight all the time. Living in those conditions might have turned someone else rebellious and bitter; it was killing Johnny. He had never been a coward. He was a good man in a rumble. He stuck up for the gang and kept his mouth shut good around cops. After the night of the beating, Johnny was jumpier than ever. They think he'd ever get over it. Johnny never walked by himself after that. And Johnny, who was the most law-abiding of them, now carried in his back pocket a six-inch switchblade. He'd use it, too, if he ever got jumped again. They had scared him that much. He would kill the next person who jumped him. Nobody was ever going to beat him like that. Not over his dead body-

* * *

THEY HAD ALMOST forgotten that Cherry was listening to them.

"All Socs aren't like that," she said. "You have to believe me, guys. Not all of us are like that."

"Sure," Aiyanna said.

"That's like saying all you greasers are like Dallas Winston and Emily. I'll bet they've jumped a few people."

Aiyanna sighed, "And what if they did? Emily its all right, so is Dally. They can be nice- sometimes. They just don't wanna show that side of them-"

"Well, that's the same thing as Socs." Cherry replied. Aiyanna no longer looked sick, only sad. "I'll bet you think Socs have it made. The rich kids, the West-side Socs. I'll tell you guys something, and it may come as a surprise. We have troubles you've never heard of. You want to know something?" She said. "Things are rough all over."

"Trust me, we believe you," Aiyanna stated. "We'd better get back out there with the popcorn or Two-Bit'll think I ran off with his money."

They went back and watched the movie through again. Marcia and Two-Bit were hitting it off fine. Both had the same scatterbrained sense of humor. Pony and Aiyanna were just talking about what they were talking about back there. It wasn't surpising to them when they heard that things were rough; it was true. Even if they did have their own troubles, they couldn't see what Socs would have to sweat about- good grades, good cars, good girls, madras and Mustangs and Corvairs- if they had troubles like that they would consider themselves lucky.

They know better now.


	3. Chapter 3

AFTER THE MOVIE was over it suddenly came to them that Cherry and Marcia didn't have a way to get home. Two-Bit gallantly offered to walk them home- the west side of town that was only about tweny miles away- but they wanted to call their parents and have them come and get them. Two-Bit finally talked them into letting them drive them home in his car. They were half-scared of them. They were getting over it, though, as they walked to Two-Bit's house to pick us his car, and to check if Emily was there. They thought Two-Bit was overreacting about Emily- even the Socs. They thought maybe it was money that separated them.

"No," Cherry said slowly. "It's not. Part of it is, but not all. You greasers have different set of values. You're more emotional. We're sophisticated- cool to the point of not feeling anything. Nothing is real with us. You know, sometimes I'll catch myself talking to a girl-friend, and realize I don't mean half of what I'm saying. I don't really think beer blast on the river bottom is super-cool, but I'll rave about one to a girl-friend just to be saying something." She smiled at Aiyanna. "I never told anyone that. You're one special girl." Aiyanna beamed.

"Rat race is a perfect name for it," she said. "We're always going and going and going, never asking where. Did you ever hear of having more than you wanted? So that you couldn't want anything else and then started looking for something else to want? It seems like we're always searching for something to satisfy us, and never finding it. Maybe if we could loose our cool. We could."

That was the truth. Socs were always behind a wall of aloofness, careful not to let their real selves show through. The Socs even fought coldly and practically and impersonal.

"That's why we're separated," Aiyanna said. "It's not money, it's feeling- you don't feel anything and we feel too violently."

"And"- Cherry tried to hide a smile- "that's probably why we take turns getting our names in the paper."

Two-Bit and Marcia weren't even listening to them. They were too engaged in some wild conservation that made no sense to anyone but themselves.

Pony has quite a rep for being quiet, almost quiet as Johnny. Two-Bit always said he wondered why Johnny and Pony were such good buddies.

Aiyanna and Pony started talking to Cherry- and Pony was telling Cherry about Soda's horse, Micky Mouse. He never told anyone that, except Aiyanna, but it was personal.

Soda had this buckskin horse, only it wasn't his. It belonged to a guy who kept it at the stables where Soda used to work. Micky Mouse was Soda's horse, though. The first day Soda saw him he said, "There's my house," and Pony never doubted it. Pony was about ten then. Sodapop was horsecrazy. He's always hanging around stables and rodeos, hopping on a horse everytime he gets a chance. When Pony was ten he thought Micky Mouse and Soda looked alike and were alike. Micky Mouse was a dark-gold buckskin, sassy and ornery, not much more than a colt. He'd come when Soda called him. He wouldn't come for anyone else. That horse loved Soda. He'd stand there and chew on Soda's sleeve or collar. Gosh, but Soda was crazy with that horse, that's for sure. He went down to see him everyday. Micky Mouse was a mean horse: he kicked other horses and was always getting into trouble. "I've got me a' ornery pony," Soda'd tell him, rubbing his neck. "How come you're so mean, Micky Mouse?" Micky Mouse would just chew his sleeve and sometimes nip him. But not hard. He may belonged to another guy, but he was Soda's horse.

"Does Soda Still have him?" Cherry asked.

"He got sold," Pony answered. "They came and got him one day and took him off. He was a real valuable horse. Pure quarter."

She didn't say anything else and Pony was glad she did. He couldn't tell her that Soda had bawled all night long after they came and got Micky Mouse. Pony had cried too, because Soda never really wanted anything expect a horse, and he'd lost his. Soda had been twelve then, going-on-thirteen. He never let on Mom and Dad how he felt, though, because they never had enough money and usually they had a hard time making ends meet. When you're thirteen in their neighborhood you know the score. Pony kept saving his money for a year, thinking that someday he could buy Micky Mouse back for Soda. You're not so smart at ten.

"You guys read a lot, don't you, Ponyboy, Aiyanna?" Cherry asked.

Pony was starled. "Yeah. Why?" Aiyanna just nodded.

Marcia suddenly gasped. "Cherry, look what's coming."

They all looked and saw a blue Mustang coming down the street. Johnny made a small noise in his throat and when I looked at him he was white.

Marcia was shifting nervously. "What are we going to do?"

Cherry bit a fingernail. "Stand here," she said. "There isn't much else we can do."

"Who is it?" Two-Bit asked. "The F.B.I?"

"No," Cherry said bleakly, "It's Randy and Bob." Aiyanna laughed under her breath for a moment, "Bob, haha."

"And," Two-Bit added grimly, "a few other of the socially elite checkered-shirt set."

"You're boyfriends?" Johnny's voice was steady, but he was trembling. He was a nervous wreck, but he was never that jumpy.

Cherry started walking down the street. "Maybe they won't see us. Act normal."

"Who's acting?" Two-Bit grinned. "I'm natural normal."

"I wish there was another way around," Pony muttered, and Two-Bit said, "Don't get mouthy, Ponyboy."

The Mustang passed us slowly and went right on by. Marcia sighed in relief. "That was close."

Cherry turned to Ponyboy. "Tell me about your oldest brother. You don't talk much about him."

Pony tried to think of something to say Darry, and shrugged. "What's to talk about? He's big and handsome and likes to play football."

"I mean, what's he like? I feel like I know Soda from the way you talk about him; tell me about Darry." And when Pony was silent, she urged on him. "Is he wild and reckless like Soda?" Pony's face got hot as he bit his lip. Darry... what was Darry like? "He's..." He started to say he was a good ol' guy but he couldn't. He burst out bitterly: "He's not like Sodapop at all and he sure ain't like me. He's hard as a rock and about as human. He's got eyes exactly like frozen ice. He thinks I'm a pain in the neck. He likes Soda- everybody likes Soda- but he can't stand me. I bet he wishes he could stick me in a home somewhere, and he'd do it, too, if Soda'd let him."

Two-Bit, Johnny, and Aiyanna were staring at him now. "No..." Two-bit said, dumbfounded. Aiyanna just shook her head. "No, Ponyboy, that ain't right...you got it wrong..."

"Gee," Johnny said softly, "I thought you and Darry and Soda get along real well..."

"Well, we don't." Pony snapped, feeling silly. He then felt stupid. Compared to Johnny's home, Pony's house was heaven. At least Darry didn't get drunk and beat him up or run him out of the house, and he had Soda to talk things over with. That made Pony mad. "An' you can shut your trap, Johnny Cade, 'cause we all know you ain't wanted at home, either. And you can't blame them."

Aiyanna put a hand on Pony's shoulder. Johnny's eyes went round and he winced as though I'd belted him. Two-Bit slapped Pony a good one across the side of his head, and hard.

"Shut your mouth, kid. If you wasn't Soda's kid brother or my kid sister's best friend's boyfriend I'd beat the tar out of you. You know better than to talk to Johnny like that." He put his hand on johnny's shoulder. "He didn't mean it, Johnny."

"I'm sorry," Pony said miserably. Johnny and Pony were buddies. "I was just mad." Aiyanna patted Pony's back.

"It's the truth," Johnny said with a bleak grin. "I dont care."

"Shut up talkin' like that," Two-Bit said fiercely, messing up Johnny's hair. "We couldn't get along without you, so you can just shut up!"

"It ain't fair!" Pony cried passionately. "It ain't fair that we have all the rough breaks!" Pony didn't know exactly what he meant, but he was thinking about Johnny's father being a drunk and his mother a selfish slob, and Two-Bit's mother being a barmaid to suport him and his kid sister after their father ran out on them, and Aiyanna's parents divorced and staying with her mother, and Emily, scaring her mother when running off, making her mom thinking she lost another one, and Dally- wild, cunning Dally- turning to a hoodlum because he'd die if he didn't, and Steve- his hatred for his father coming out in his soft, bitter voice and the violence of his temper. Sodapop... a dropout so he could get a job and keep me in school, and Darry, getting old before his time trying to run a family and hold on two jobs and never having any fun- while the Socs had so much spare time and money that they jumped them and each other for kicks, had beer blasts and river-bottom parties because they didn't know what else to do. Things are rough all over, all right. All over the East Side.

"I know," Two-Bit said with a good-natured grin, "the chips are always down when it's our turn, but that's the way things are. Like it or lump it." Aiyanna sighed, "that's the truth. Life isn't perfect, it isn't suppose to be."

Cherry and Marcia didn't say anything. Guess they didn't know what to say. They have forgotten they were there. Then the blue Mustang was coming down the street again, more slowly.

"Well," Cherry said resignedly, "they've spotted us."

The Mustsang came to halt besides them, and the two boys in the front seat got out. They were Socs all right. Aiyanna gasped. One had on a white shirt and a madras ski jacket, and the other a light yellow shirt and a wine-colored sweater. Pony swallowed. Two-Bit started to tuck in his shirttail, but stopped himself in time; he just flapped up the collar of his black leathered jacket and lit up a cigarette. The Socs didn't even seem to see them.

"Cherry, Marcia, listen to us..." the handsome black-haired Soc with the sweater began.

Johnny was breathing heavily and Pony noticed that he was staring at the Soc's hand. He was wearing three heavy rings. He looked quickly at Johnny, an idea was dawning on him. It was a blue Mustang that had pulled up beside the vacant lot and that Johnny's face had been cut up by someone wearing rings...

"... Just because we got a little drunk last time..."

Cherry looked mad. "A little? You call releeing and passing out on the streets 'a little'? Bob, I told you, I'm never going out with you while you're drinking, and I mean it. Too many things could happen while you're drinking. It's me or the booze."

The other Soc, a tall guy with a semi-Beatle haircut, turned to Marcia. "Baby, you know we don't get drunk very often..." When she only gave him a cold stare he got angry. "And even if you are mad at us, that's no reason to be walking the streets with these bums."

Two-Bit took a long drag on his cigarette, Johnny slouched and hooked his thumbs in his pockets, Aiyanna crossed her arms, and Pony stiffened. They could look meaner than anything when they want to- looking though comes in handy. Two-Bit put his elbow on Johnny's shoulder. "Who you callin' bums?"

"Listen, greasers, we got five more in the back seat..."

"Then pity the back seat," Two-Bit said to the sky.

"If you're lookin' for a fight..."

Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow, but it only made him look more cool."You mean if I'm looking for a good jumping, you outnumber us, so you'll give it to us? Well..." He snatched up an empty bottle, busted off the end, and gave it to Pony, then reached in his back pocket and flipped out his switchblade. "Try it, pal."

"No!" Cherry cried. "Stop it!" She looked at Bob. "We'll ride home with you. Just wait a minute."

"Why?" Two-Bit demanded. "We ain't scared of them."

Cherry shuddered. "I can't stand fights... I can't stand them..."

Aiyanna pulled Pony and Cherry to one side. "He couldn't use this," Aiyanna pointed at the bottle. Pony nodded, dropping the bottle. "I could never cut anyone..." He had to tell her that, because he and Aiyanna seen Cherry's eyes when Two-Bit flicked out his switch.

"I know," she said quietly, "but we'd better go with them. I mean...if I see you guys in the hall at school or someplace and don't say hi, well, it's no personal or anything, but..."

"We know," Aiyanna said and Ponyboy.

"We couldn't let our parents see us with you all. You're nice and everything..."

"It's okay," Pony said. "Yeah, we get the call," Aiyanna replied. "We aren't in the same class. Just don't forget that some of us watch the sunset, too."

Then she walked away back to their car. Aiyanna wrapped a arm around Pony and laid her head on his shoulder as she waved back at Cherry and Marcia.

They walked home, mostly in silence. Pony had the urge to tell Johnny if those were the same Socs that had beaten him up, but didn't mention it.

"Well, those were two good-lookin' girls if I saw any," Two-Bit yawned as they sat down on the curb at the vacant lot. "I think you mean three good-lookin' girls," Aiyanna corrected. "Whatever you say, princess." Two-Bit said as he messed up her hair. He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and tore it up.

"What was that?"

"Marcia's number. Probably a phony one, too. I must have been outa my mind to ask for it. I think I'm a little soused."

So he had been drinking. Two-Bit was smart. He knew the score. "Y'all goin' home?" He asked.

"Not right now," Pony said. "I think I have plenty more time before I gotta home."

"I don't know why I handed you that busted bottle," Two-Bit said, getting to his feet. "You'd never use it."

"Maybe I would have," Pony said, "Where you headed?"

"Gonna play a little snooker and hunt up a poker game. Fine my kid sister. Maybe get rip-roain' drunk. I dunno. See y'all tomorrow."

Aiyanna stood up and streched, same did Johnny and Pony. It was freezing.

* * *

"It was because we're greasers," Johnny said. Thye knew he was talking about Cherry. "We could have hurt her reputation."

"I reckon," Pony said.

"Man, that was a tuff car." Johnny responded. "Mustangs are tuff," Aiyanna added.

"Bug time Socs, all right," Pony said, a nervous bitterness growing inside. It wasn't fair for the Socs to have everything. Greasers were as good as them; it wasn't their fault that they were greasers. Can't just take it or leave it, like Two-Bit, or ignore it and love life anyway, like Sodapop, or harden Pony beyond caring, like Dally, or actually enjoying it, like Tim Shepherd.

"I can't take much more," Johnny said. "I'll kill myself or something."

"Don't," Aiyanna said, sitting up on alarm. Pony sat, "You can't kill yourself, Johnny."

"Well, I won't. But I gotta do something. It seems like there's gotta be someplace without greasers or Socs, just people. Plain ordinary people."

"That's like in the country," Aiyanna yawned, her head on Pony's shoulder and wrapped an arm around his stomach, laying on her side. "Out of the big towns..." Pony said. "In the country..."

In the country...Pony loved the country. He wanted to be out of towns and away from excitement. Didn't want to worry about getting jumped or carrying a blade or ending us marrying to some scatterbrained broad with no sense. He'd have a yeller cur dog, like he used to, Sodapop coulde have Micky Mouse back and ride in all the rodeos he wanted, and Darry would lose that cold, hard look and be like he used to be, eight months ago, before their parents were killed...

* * *

"Pony, Aiyanna-" Johnny was shaking them- "Hey, guys, wake up."

Pony woke up, shivering. The stars had moved. "Glory, what time is it?" Aiyanna added, "Must be past curfew."

"I don't know. I went to sleep, too, listening to you rattle on and on. You'd better get home. I think I'll stay all night out here." Johnny's parents didn't care if he came home or not.

"Okay," Aiyanna yawned. Gosh, but it was cold. "If you get cold or something come on over to our house."

"Okay."

"I'll walk home with you," Aiyanna turned to Pony. "Aren't you sure you're mom isn't gonna get mad that you came home late?" Pony asked. "Nah, I don't like thinking about it, gives me chills."

* * *

The both ran to Pony's house. The light porch was on. Maybe they were sleeping and Pony could just sneak in. They both peeked through the window. Sodapop was stretched out on the sofa, sound asleep, but Darry was in a armchair under the lamp, reading the newspaper. Pony gulped. It was a little better when Aiyanna was around because it was good to have company around. Pony softly opened the door. Darry looked up from his paper. He was on his feet in a second. Pony stood there chewing his fingernail. Aiyanna just stood behind Pony, trying not to get seen.

"Where the heck have you been? Do you fellas know what time it is?" He was madder than Pony seen him in a long time. "No," Aiyanna said under her breath. Pony shook his head wordlessly.

"Well, it's two in the morning, kiddo. Another hour and I would have called the police on you both. Aiyanna's mom was calling me if she was on our house, and you better know that she ain't happy like I am right now."- his voice was rising- "Where in the almighty universe were you?"

"W-we went to sleep in the lot..." Ponyboy said. Sodapop rubbed his eyes, chuckling of them both sleeping in the lot.

"You what?" Darry was shouting.

"Hey, Ponyboy," Sodapop said sleepily. "Where ya been?"

"I didn't mean to." Pony pleaded with Darry. " Aiyanna, Johnny, and I were talking and we all dropped off..."

"I reckon it never occurred to you that your brothers might be worrying their heads off and afraid to call the police because something like that could get you two thrown into a boys' home so quick it'd me you're head spin. And you were asleep in the lot? Ponyboy, what on earth is the matter with you? Can't you use you're head? You haven't even got a coat on."

Pony felt hot tears of anger and frustration rising. "I said I didn't mean to..."

"I didn't mean to!" Darry shouted, and Pony almost shook. "I didn't think! I forgot! That's all I hear out of you! Can't you think of anything?"

"Darry..." Sodapop began. "Come on, you know he didn't mean..." Aiyanna came in the conversation, but Darry turned on them both. "You two keep your trap shut! I'm sick and tired of hearin' you two stick up for him!"

He should never yell at Soda, nor Aiyanna. Pony exploded. "You don't yell at 'em!" Pony shouted. Darry wheeled around and slapped Pony so hard that it knocked him against the door.

Suddenly it was deathly quiet. They all had froze. Nobody in Pony's family had ever hit him. Nobody. Soda and Aiyanna was wide-eyed. Darry looked at the palm of his hand where it had turned red and then looked back at Ponyboy. "Ponyboy..."

Pony turned and ran out the door and down the street as fast as Pony could, Aiyanna following. Darry screamed, "Pony, I didn't mean to!" but Pony pretended to not hear. He was running away. Aiyanna wanted to be where he his, so she followed. Her worst fear was being alone. It was plain to Ponyboy that Darry didn't want him around. Darry wasn't ever gonna hit Pony again.

"Johnny?" They both called, and started when he rolled over and jumped up almost under their feet. "Come on, Johnny, we're running away."

Johnny asked no questions. They ran for several blocks until they were out of breath. Then they walked. Pony was crying by then. Pony finally just sat down on the crub and cried, burying his face in his arms. Aiyanna and Johnny sat besides him, comforting him. "Easy, Ponyboy," Johnny said softly, "We'll be okay."

Pony finally calmed down and wiped his eyes with his bare hands. His breath was coming back in quivering sobs. "Gotta cigarette?"

Johnny handed Pony one and struck a match. "Want one?" Johnny gestured the cigarette to Aiyanna. "No thanks."

"Guys, I'm scared."

"Well, don't be. You're scarin' me. What happened? I never seen you bawl like that."

"I don't often. It was Darry. He hit me. I don't know what happened, but I couldn't take him hollering at me and hitting me too. I don't know... sometimes we get along okay, then all the sudden he blows up on me or else naggin' at me all the time. He didn't use to be like that... we use to get along... before mom and dad died. Now he just can't stand me."

"I think I like it better when the old man's hittin' me." Johnny sighed. Aiyanna just frowned. "At least then I know he knows who I am. I walk in that house, and nobody says anything. I walk out, and nobody says anything. At least you got Soda. I ain't got anybody."

"Don't say that." Aiyanna responded. "Shoot," Pony said, startled out of his misery, "you got the whole gang. Dally didn't slug you tonight 'cause you're the pet. I mean, golly, Johnny, you got the whole gang."

"It ain't the same as having your own folks care about you," Johnny said simply. "It ain't just the same."

They began to relax, Pony wondering if running away was such a good idea. They were sleepy and freezing to death. Pony decided that he would go home and just not speak to Darry. It was Pony's house as much as Darry's, and if he wanted to pretend he wasn't alive, that was just fine with him. He couldn't stop Piny from living in his own house.

"Let's walk and to the park and back. Maybe Pony will be cooled of enough to home. Sound good?"

"Okay," Pony and Johnny agreed easily.

Things gotta get better, they thought. Things couldn't get worse. Wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

THE PARK WAS ABOUT two blocks square, with a fountain in the middle and a small swimming pool for the little kids. The pool was empty now in the fall, but the fountain was going merrily. Tall elm trees made the park shadowy and dark, and it would have been a good hangout, but they preferred our vacant lot, and the Shephard outfits liked the alleys down by the tracks, so the park was left to lovers and little kids.

Nobody was around at two-thirty in the morning, and it was a good place to relax and cool off. It couldn't have gotten much cooler without turning them into popsicles. Johnny snapped up his jean jacket and flipped up he collar. Aiyanna wrapped her hands on Pony's arms, zipped up her leather jacket.

"Ain't you about to freeze to death, Pony?"

"You ain't a'woofin'," Pony said, rubbing his bare arms between drags on his cigarette. Pony started to say something about the film of ice developing on the outer edges of the fountain when a sudden blast from a car horn make them jump. The blue Mustang was circling the park slowly.

"Shit, fuck!" Aiyanna swore under her breath, so did Johnny. Pony muttered, "What do they want? This is our territory. What are Socs doing this far east?"

"Only one way to find out," Aiyanna puted her sleeves up and was ready to pack a punch, but Pony stopped her.

Johnny shook his head. "I don't know. But I bet they're looking for us. We picked up their girls." Aiyanna glared at them both. "I'm standing right here."

"Oh, glory," Pony said with a groan, " this is all I need to top off a perfect night." Pony took one last drag off his weed and ground the stub under his heel. "Want to run for it?"

"It's too late now," Johnny said. "Here they come."

Five Socs were coming straight at them, and the way they were staggering they figured out they were reeling pickled. A cool deadly bluff could sometimes shake them off, but not if they outnumbered you five to two and were drunk. Johnny's hand went in his back pocket. Pony and Aiyanna looked at each other. They had remembered that Johnny had his switchblade. Pony soon wished for that broken bottle. He'd sure show them he could use it if he had to. Aiyanna acted tough, but was nervous in the inside. Johnny was scared. He was as white as a ghost and his eyes were wild-looking, like the eyes of an animal in a trap. They backed against the fountain and the Socs surrounded them. They smelled so heavily of whisky and English leather that it almost made them choke. They knew they had to fight them alone. Johnny had a blank tough look on his face- you'd have had to know him to see the panic in his eyes. They stared at the Socs coolly. Maybe they could scare them to death, but they'd never let them have the satisfaction of knowing it.

It was Randy and Bob and three other Socs, and they recognized them. Johnny recognized them; he was watching the moonlight glint off Bob's rings with huge eyes.

"Hey, whatta ya know?" Bob said a little unsteadily, "Here's the little greasers that picked up our girls. Hey, greasers."

"You fool, that's a little weird for me, ya know?" Aiyanna glared at him.

"You're outa your territory," Johnny warned in a low voice. "You'd better watch it."

Randy swore at them and they stepped in closes. Bob was eyeing Johnny. "Nup, pal, yer the ones who'd better watch it. Next time you want a broad, pick up yer own kind- dirt." Bob cussed them out.

"You know what a greaser is?" Bob asked. "White trash with long hair."

"You know what a Soc is?" Pony said, his voice shaking with rage. "White trash with Mustangs and madras." Aiyanna added, "Trash? I think you mean white shit." Pony spit at them. Bob shook his head, smiling slowly. "You could use a bath, greaser. And a good working over. And we've got all night to do it. Give the kid a bath, David."

Pony ducked and tired to run for it, but the Soc caught his arm and twisted it behind his back, and shoved his face in the fountain. "No!" Aiyanna yelled. "Get your dirty ass hands off him, bitch!" Aiyanna took off her shoe and was hitting the Soc in the back hard, and kicked him. "Getta girl, too." Bob yelled. The rest of the Socs ran to Johnny and Aiyanna, throwing them to them ground and kicked them. Johnny took out his blade.

"Johnny..." Aiyanna noticed. Johnny then got up to his feet. "Johnny, what the hell are you thinking?!" Johnny ignored her. "Johnnny... Johnny..." She called, but it was too late.

* * *

Pony was lying on the pavement beside the fountain, coughing water and gasping. Aiyanna looked over him, and hugged him. He noticed that her eyes became huge. Pony pushed himself up and leaned back against the fountain, the water running down his face. Then he saw Johnny.

He was sitting next to Pony on his other side, one elbow on his knee, and staring straight ahead. He was a strange greenish-white, and his eyes were huger than he'd ever seen them.

"I killed him," he said slowly. "I killed that boy."

Bob, the handsome Soc, was lying there in the moonlight, doubled up and still. A dark pool was growing from him, spreading slowly over the blue white cemet. They looked at Johnny's hand. He was clutching his switchblade, and it was dark to hilt.

"Johnny," Pony managed to say. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Go ahead." Aiyanna replied. "We won't look at you."

Pony turned his head and was quietly sick for a minute. Then Pony leaned back and closed his eyes so he wouldn't see Bob lying there.

"You really killed him, huh, Johnny?"

"Yeah." His voice quavered slightly. "Johnny had to." Aiyanna said. "Yeah. They were drowing you, Pony. They might have killed you. And they had a blade... they were gonna beat us up..."

"Like..." -Pony swallowed- "Like they did before?"

Johnny was quiet for a minute. "Yeah," he said, "like they did before."

Johnny told Pony what happened: "They ran when I stabbed him. They all ran..."

"Johnny, Aiyanna!" Pony nearly screamed. "What are we gonna do? They put you in the electric chair, for killing people!" Pony was shaking. "Guys, I'm scared. What are we gonna do?"

Johnny jumped up and dragged Pony up by his sweat shirt. He shook him. "Calm down, Ponyboy. Get ahold of yourself."

Ponyboy hasn't realized that he was screaming. He shook loose. "Okay," he said, "I'm okay now."

"Good 'cause I don't wanna have two people whinning while we figure out what the hell we are gonna do," Aiyanna crossed her arms. She was shaking of coldness and scared.

Johnny looked around, slapping his pockets nervously. "We gotta get outa here. Get somewhere. Run away. The police'll be here soon." Johnny's hands were shaking. "We'll need money. And maybe a gun. And a plan."

Money. Maybe a gun? A plan. Where in the world would they get these things?

"Dally, Emily," Johnny said with finality. "They'll get us outa here."

"Where can we find them?" Aiyanna asked.

"I think at Buck Merril's place. There's a party over there tonight. They said somethin' about it this afternoon."

Buck Merril was Dally's rodeo partner. He was the one who's got the job as a jocky for Slash J. Buck raised a few quarter horses, and made most of his money on fixed races and a little bootlegging. Pony was under strict orders from both Darry and Soda not to get caught within ten miles of his place, which was dandy with him. Buck Merril was a tall lanky cowboy with blond hair and buckteeth. Or he used to be bucktoothed before he had the front two knocked out in a fight. He was out of it. He dug Hank Williams- how gross can you get?

Buck answered the door when they knocked, and a roar of cheap music came with him. The clinking of glasses, loud, rough laughter and females giggles, and Hank Williams. It scraped on their raw nerves like sandpaper. A can of beer in one hand, Buck glared down at them. "Whatta ya want?"

"Dally, Emily!" Johnny gulped, looked back over his shoulder. "We gotta see Dally and Emily."

"They're busy," Buck snapped, and someone in his living room yelled "Ah-ha!" and then "Yee-ha," and the sound of it almost made their nerves snap.

"Tell him it's Ponyboy and Johnny," Pony commanded. "He'll come."

Buck glared at Pony for a second, then stumbled off. He was pretty well crocked, which made Pony apprehensive. If they were drunk and in a dangerous mood...

They both appeared in a few minutes, Emily bitting her tongue with a grin on her face. "Hey guys." She said. Dallas, clad only in a pair of low-cut blue jeans.

"Okay, kids, whatta ya need us for?"

As Johnny told them the story, Aiyanna studied Emily. She was wearing her jean jacket, buttoned up, but her jacket is never buttoned up even if she was at the North Pole. Aiyanna knew that she didn't have anything under. Aiyanna looked at Pony, cocking an eyebrow with a smirk on her face, her face reading: _Should we tell Two-Bit?_

Dallas didn't bat an eye when Johnny told them what happened, only looked at Emily and looked back at them, grinning and said "Good for you" when Johnny told how he knifed the Soc. Finally Johnny finished. "We figured you guys could get us out if anyone could. I'm sorry we got you guys away from the party."

"Oh, shoot, kid" -Dallas glanced at Emily contemptuously over his shoulder- "uh- we were...in the...bedroom."

He suddenly stared at Pony. "Glory, but your ears can get red, Ponyboy."

He was remembering what usually went on in the bedrooms at Buck's parties. Then Dallas and Emily looked at each other, grinning in amused realization. "Oh- It wasn't anything like that, kid. We were asleep, or tryin' to be, with all this racket." Dallas lied. "Hank Williams can't shut the fuck up with his damn ass songs," Emily added to make it more truthful. "We and Shepard had a run-in and we cracked some ribs. We just needed a place to lay over." Dally rubbed his side ruefully. "Ol' Tim can sure pack a punch. He won't be able to see outa one eye for a week." He looked at Emily and sighed. "Well, wait a sec and We'll see what we can do about this mess." Then he took a good look at Pony. "Aye, Pony, are you wet?" Emily asked.

"Y-y-yes-s," Pony answered through chattring teeth.

"Glory hallelujah!" They opened the screen door and pulled Pony in, motioning for Aiyanna and Johnny to follow. "You'll die of pneumonia 'fore the cops ever get you."

He half-dragged Pony into an empty bedroom, Emily doing the same to Aiyanna, swearing at them the whole way. "Get that sweat shirt off." Aiyanna tried her hardest not to look at Ponyboy while he was taking off his shirt. Dallas threw a towel at Pony, whispering to Emily. She found her under shirt on a dresser. She took it and went to the bathroom. Dallas said, "Dry off and wait here. At least they got their jackets. You ought to know better to run away in just a sweat shirt, and a wet one at that. Don't you ever use your head?" He sounded so much like Darry that Pony stared at him. He didn't notice, and left them sitting on the bed.

Aiyanna and Johnny lay back on it. "I wish I had me a weed." Johnny whined. Emily then entered the door, with her white undershirt and her jacket unbuttoned like how she looked in the morning.

Dally appeared after a minute. He carefully shut the door. "Here"-he handed them a gun and a roll of bills- "the gun's loaded. For Pete's sakes, Johnny, don't don't point the thing at me. Here's fifty bucks. That's all I could get out of Merril tonight. He's blowin' his loot from the last race."

"Pony, do Darry and Sodapop know 'bout this?" Emily questioned.

Pony shook his head. Dally sighed. "Boy howdy, I ain't itchin' to be the one to tell Darry and get my head busted."

"Then don't tell him," Pony said. He'd hate to worry Sodapop, and would have liked to let him know he had gotten this far okay, but didn't care if Darry worried himself grayheaded. Darry would beat Dally to death for giving them the money and the gun and getting them out of town.

"Here!" Dally handed Pony a shirt about sixty million sizes too big. "It's bucks- you an' him ain't exactly the same size, but it's dry." He handed Pony his worn brown leather jacket with the yellow sheep's-wool ling. "It'll get cold where you're going, but you can't risk being loaded down with blankets."

Pony started buttoning the shirt. It about swallowed him. "Hop the three-fifteen frieght to Windrixville," Dally instrutced. "There's an old abandoned church on top of Jay Mountain. There's a pump in the back so don't worry about water. Buy a week's supply of food as soon as you get there- this morning, before the story gets out, and then don't so much as stick your noses out the door. I'll be up there as soon as I think it's clear. Man, and I thought New York was the only place I could get mixed up in a murder rap."

At the word "murder," Johnny made a small noise in his throat and shuddered.

"Git goin'!" Dally said messing up Johnny's hair. "Take care, kid," He said softly.

"Sure, Dally, thanks." When they all reached the door of the bedroom, Emily followed them. "Where do you think you're going?" Dally stopped her. The rest stopped and went back inside the room, thinking that Dally called them, too. "I'm going with them," She replied.

"Why? We still need to finish somethin', c'mon, baby," Dally grinned. "Dally, do you even think any of these kids would use a gun? I can hardly imagine that they can aim. I'll be fine." Emily rolled her eyes.

Dally sighed. "Fine; but don't be goin' out and be snitchin' with some cowboys. I'll be there to check up on you guys."

"You'll have to anyway," Emily and the rest headed to the door. "Why's that?" Dally asked.

"Because," Emily said, "I got your wallet." She said walking out the door with his wallet in her hand, locking the door and slammed it in his face.

Dallas sighed, "Shit."

* * *

THEY CROUCHED IN THE WEEDS besides the railroad tracks, listening to the whistle grow louder. The train slowed to a screaming halt. "Now," Johnny and Emily whispered. They ran and pulled themselves into an open boxcar. They pressed against the side, trying to hold their breath while they listened to the railroad workers walk up and down outside. One poked his head inside, and they froze. But he didn't see them, and the boxcar rattled as the train started up.

"The first stop'll be Windrixville," Emily said, chewing gum. Johnny laid the gun down gingerly. He shook his head. "I don't see why he gave me this. I couldn't shoot anybody."

"Well, that's why I came, huh, Johnnycake," Emily said, offering Aiyanna some gum. Emily grabbed a match, and lighted it so they can see in the dark.

Ponyboy stretched out and used Johnny's legs for a pillow. He was thankful for Dally's jacket. Pony curled up. "Scoot over." Aiyanna commanded. Pony smiled and Aiyanna lied down next to Pony. "I'll keep watch," Emily said getting up and standing on the opening. "Pony?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared. What will happen?" Aiyanna questioned. "I don't know." Pony answered. "I wonder what Cherry will think. She probably might never trust us. We killed her boyfriend. If I were her, I would just probably not talk to us, either." Pony thought about it. What will she think? Pony swinged his arm across Aiyanna's neck, like what Sodapop would do. "Careful, Pony; wouldn't want to be like ol' Dal and Emily, now would we?"

Pony and Johnny looked at Emily and chuckled. Emily rolled her eyes. "Shut the fuck up. That's enough talkin' from y'all. Lights out, kids."

They all laughed. "Now what's up?" Emily asked. "It's nothin', really. It's just because you sounded so much like a mom." Johnny replied.

"Crazy ass bozos. Go to sleep." Emily said. "Emily."

"What?"

"Do you ever want kids?" Aiyanna asked. Everyone stood quiet, waiting for a question. "I never really thought about it. I guess it was never my choice. I mean, if Dallas wants, I guess." Emily answered. "Who said it had to be Dally?" Aiyanna responded. "Now what 'bout you, Anna?"

"Hm. I guess it can't be that bad." Aiyanna looked at Pony with a smile. "How does it feel to be with Dally?" Johnny asked Emily. "Not bad. He can be annoying sometimes. Two-Bit mostly likes to keep us apart when Dally comes over. Dallas is real handsome... He'a a real player..."

"Is he hot?" Aiyanna asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah... wait what?" Emily snapped out of her thoughts. "Okay, shut up, kids. Go to sleep. You'll need the energy." Emily said. Aiyanna went closer to Pony.

"Good night." She whispered.

* * *

THEY WERE HARDLY AWAKE when they leapt off the train into a meadow. They couldn't grasp out what happened. Emily must have told them to jump off. They couldn't remember. They lay in the tall weeds and damp grass, breathing heavily. The dawn was coming.

"Blast it, guys"- Johnny said rubbing his legs- "You two loverbirds must have put my legs to sleep. I can't even stand up. I barley got off that train."

"I'm sorry."

"That's okay. Now how do we find Jay Mountain?" Johnny asked Emily.

"Am I suppose to do everythin'? I'm not your damn mother! Just go and ask some bitch. The beef won't be in the paper yet. Make like a damn farm boy taking a walk or somethin'."

"I don't look like a farm boy," Pony said. They all looked at each other. "Pony looks more like one," Johnny said.

"I'll have to say here," Johnny said rubbing his legs. "You go down the road and ask the first person you see where Jay Mountain is." Emily said. Johnny winced at the pain in his legs. "Then come back. And for Pete's sake, run a comb through your hair and quit slouching down like a thug."

Pony pulled a comb from his back pocket and combed his hair carefully. "I guess I look okay now, huh, guys?"

Aiyanna studied him. "We should buy you a cowboy hat," she smiled. "You know," Johnny said, "you look an awful lot like Sodapop, the way you've got your hair and everything. I mean, expect your eyes are green."

"They ain't green, they're gray," Pony said reddening. "And I look about as much like Soda as you do." Pony got to his feet. "He's good-looking."

"Shoot," Johnny said with a grin, "you are, too."

Pony climbed over the barbed-wire fence without saying anything else. He could hear them laughing at him, but he didn't care.

Pony met a sunburned farmer driving a tractor down a road. Pony waved at him and he stopped.

"Could you tell me where Jay Mountain is?" Ponyboy asked politely as he could.

He pointed on down the road. "Follow this road to that big hill over there. That's it. Taking a walk?"

"Yessir." Pony managed to look sheepish. "We're playing army and I'm suppose to report to headquarters there."

"Boys will be boys," the farmer said with a grin. He sounded as horney as Hank Williams. He went on and Ponyboy walked back to where his friends were waiting.

* * *

THEY CLIMBED UP THE ROAD to the church, although it was a lot further away than it looked. It took forty-five minutes to get there. They climbed in the back window. It was a small church, real old and spooky and spiderwebby.

They'd been to chruch before. They used to go there all the time, even after Pony's Mom and Dad were gone. Then one Sunday Pony talked Soda into coming with him, Aiyanna and Johnny. He didn't want to come unless Steve did, and Two-Bit decided he might as well come too. Dally wanted alone time with Emily, and Darry was working. When Johnny and Pony and Aiyanna went, they sat in the back, trying to get something out of the sermon and avoiding people, because they weren't dressed so sharp, only Aiyanna. But that day... well, Soda can't sit long enough to enjoy a movie, and much less a sermon. It wasn't long before he and and Steve and Two-Bit were throwing paper wads at each other and clowning around, and finally Steve dropped a hymn book with a bang- accidentally, of course. Everyone in the place turned around to look at them, and Ponyboy, Johnny, and Aiyanna nearly crawled under the pews. And Two-Bit _waved_ at them.

They haven't been to church every since.

Once they had a good look of the old ragged church, they flopped on the floor and they just feel asleep. Ponyboy was gonna say something, but he dose off. They didn't seem to notice.


End file.
